Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the scallion whites and rosemary and cook until the scallions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices and 1⁄2 cup of the boiling water. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Add the pasta to the tomato sauce along with the spinach and half of the scallion greens. Toss to coat the pasta and wilt the spinach, about 1 minute, gradually adding the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen. Season with salt, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle the cheese over the pasta and toss well. Divide among plates or shallow bowls and top with the remaining scallion greens.

Steps:

• Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a pot and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add broccoli rabe and cook about 5 minutes, until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl of ice water. Drain and squeeze dry. Turn on a food processor and drop garlic in through the feed tube. Stop machine, scrape down sides and add broccoli rabe. Pulse until finely chopped. Stop machine. Add 6 tablespoons oil. Pulse until pesto comes together but is not creamy or thoroughly emulsified. Transfer to a bowl and fold in ¼ cup cheese.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan on low. Add fennel and onion, and cook until soft but not brown. Add sausage and cook, mashing it to a fine crumble, until it is no longer pink. Add chicken stock and cook until the stock has mostly evaporated and just glazes the sausage. Transfer sausage mixture to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Return sausage to the pan. Fold in broccoli rabe pesto. Set aside.
• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orecchiette and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Reheat sausage mixture and add about ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta and add to pan with the sausage mixture. Toss ingredients together until pasta is evenly coated. Fold in remaining ½ cup cheese, check seasoning and serve.